How did John do this?
By "leveling the playing field."
The Jews' days were numbered and the time for the Temple to be no more was close at hand. Everything was about to change. The entire way of processing information from those who saw themselves 'above others' was going to be brought down--both in the spiritual and in the physical.
John was preaching a "level gospel", The scribes, Pharisees and religious lawyers were going to be brought "down". The world as they knew it was about to flee! Jesus' life, death, and resurrection would cause everything to change, Nothing would ever be the same. It would be like not having a sun or a moon--or an authority who knew what to do. The 'constant things' would shift.
And those who were poor and ignorant of the laws and righteousness would now be "brought up" to a level playing field.
John was preaching a "level gospel", The scribes, Pharisees and religious lawyers were going to be brought "down". The world as they knew it was about to flee! Jesus' life, death, and resurrection would cause everything to change, Nothing would ever be the same. It would be like not having a sun or a moon--or an authority who knew what to do. The 'constant things' would shift.
And those who were poor and ignorant of the laws and righteousness would now be "brought up" to a level playing field.
Making a way for The Lord in people's lives will cause turbulence for some...like lightening and thunders and a quaking earth...there isn't a thing they can do about it. Will they turn to The Lord and be spared? This is also the message another John records in The Revelation where the turbulence of the Christ's entrance and resurrection on this planet wreaked havoc in the cosmos! And how the Church finds itself is in the middle being used by God to still make "level" paths for people to come to the Lord. The ground IS level at the foot of the cross.